Neymar opens up on life as a footballer: “Gruelling” | OneFootball

A key figure in Santos’ attack, Neymar opened up about his journey as a football player. The Alvinegro Praiano No. 10 revealed the sacrifices he made at the start of his career and spoke about his two decades as an athlete.

“I’ve been at this for more than 20 years. It’s a f… tough price to pay to be a player, it’s hard. It’s hard because Brazil is very ruthless, people are way too harsh on you. They don’t understand that you’re a normal person,” said the forward on his YouTube channel.

Brought through by Santos in 2009 at the age of 17, Neymar emerged as one of Brazilian football’s great prospects. The main player for the Alvinegro Praiano in his early years, the forward won six titles before being transferred to Barcelona in 2013. The star lifted trophies in three Paulista Championships, one Copa do Brasil, one Libertadores, and one Recopa Sudamericana.

“I’m grateful for everyth….. But I worked for this. I’m human too, I have the same feelings as you. I suffer, I feel pain, I wake up in a bad mood, I cry, I get p…, I get happy,” he added.

First steps

Looking back on the start of his career, still in Santos’ youth ranks, Neymar revealed the sacrifices he made in childhood.

“When I was 13, 14, I didn’t travel with school… I didn’t go to the movies with my friends at night. I couldn’t. I had training and a match the next day, in the morning,” he revealed.

“All my friends were at school and I was at home, staring at the ceiling. But I had a specific purpose and I understood that. I’d get upset, but the next day, I’d be super happy because I was playing football,” the player concluded.

Santos’ situation in the Brasileirão

After drawing with Cruzeiro, Santos reached seven points and moved out of the relegation zone. The Alvinegro Praiano are in 16th place, one point ahead of Botafogo, who are 17th.

Santos’ next match

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.